Ru-Rong Ji

Professor in Anesthesiology

Distinguished Professor of Anesthesiology, in the School of Medicine

Professor in Neurobiology

Professor in Cell Biology

Email address: ru-rong.ji@duke.edu

Chronic pain is a major health problem in the US, affecting 100 million Americans. The long-term goal of the lab is to identify molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the genesis of chronic pain and, furthermore, to develop novel pain therapeutics that can target these mechanisms. We are interested in the following questions. (1) How do neuroinflammation and activation of glial cells (microglia and astrocytes) regulate pain and spinal cord synaptic plasticity via neuro-glial and neuro-immune interactions? (2) How do secreted miRNAs regulate neuronal signaling and synaptic transmission and pain as novel neuromodulators and pain mediators? (3) How do pro-resolution lipid mediators such as resolvins and protectin control pain via GPCR and arrestin signaling? (4) Do pain and itch share similar mechanisms? (5) How does Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in primary sensory neurons regulate pain and itch? (6) How can bone marrow stem cells produce long-term pain relief via secreting anti-inflammatory and trophic factors? We employ a multidisciplinary approach that covers in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo electrophysiology, neuronal and glial cell biology, transgenic mice, and behaviors.

Education and Training

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), Ph.D. 1990

Associated Faculty Labs

Ji Lab

Selected Grants and Awards

Department Affiliation

Department of Anesthesiology

Publications

Zhu, Cheng, Qingjian Han, Alexander Samoshkin, Marino Convertino, Alexander Linton, Edgar M. Faison, Ru-Rong Ji, Luda Diatchenko, and Nikolay V. Dokholyan. “Stabilization of μ-opioid receptor facilitates its cellular translocation and signaling..” Proteins, May 29, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/prot.25751.

Suarez-Roca, Heberto, Rebecca Y. Klinger, Mihai V. Podgoreanu, Ru-Rong Ji, Martin I. Sigurdsson, Nathan Waldron, Joseph P. Mathew, and William Maixner. “Contribution of Baroreceptor Function to Pain Perception and Perioperative Outcomes..” Anesthesiology 130, no. 4 (April 2019): 634–50. https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000002510.

Chen, Gang, Yong Ho Kim, Hui Li, Hao Luo, Da-Lu Liu, Zhi-Jun Zhang, Mark Lay, Wonseok Chang, Yu-Qiu Zhang, and Ru-Rong Ji. “Author Correction: PD-L1 inhibits acute and chronic pain by suppressing nociceptive neuron activity via PD-1..” Nat Neurosci 22, no. 3 (March 2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-018-0323-x.

Matsuda, Megumi, Yul Huh, and Ru-Rong Ji. “Roles of inflammation, neurogenic inflammation, and neuroinflammation in pain..” Journal of Anesthesia 33, no. 1 (February 2019): 131–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-018-2579-4.

Chen, Gang, Yu-Qiu Zhang, Yawar J. Qadri, Charles N. Serhan, and Ru-Rong Ji. “Microglia in Pain: Detrimental and Protective Roles in Pathogenesis and Resolution of Pain..” Neuron 100, no. 6 (December 19, 2018): 1292–1311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.009.

Han, Qingjian, Di Liu, Marino Convertino, Zilong Wang, Changyu Jiang, Yong Ho Kim, Xin Luo, et al. “miRNA-711 Binds and Activates TRPA1 Extracellularly to Evoke Acute and Chronic Pruritus..” Neuron 99, no. 3 (August 8, 2018): 449-463.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.06.039.

Bang, Sangsu, Ya-Kai Xie, Zhi-Jun Zhang, Zilong Wang, Zhen-Zhong Xu, and Ru-Rong Ji. “GPR37 regulates macrophage phagocytosis and resolution of inflammatory pain..” J Clin Invest 128, no. 8 (August 1, 2018): 3568–82. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI99888.

Luo, Xin, Bethany Fitzsimmons, Apoorva Mohan, Linlin Zhang, Niccolo Terrando, Holly Kordasiewicz, and Ru-Rong Ji. “Intrathecal administration of antisense oligonucleotide against p38α but not p38β MAP kinase isoform reduces neuropathic and postoperative pain and TLR4-induced pain in male mice..” Brain Behav Immun 72 (August 2018): 34–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2017.11.007.

Ji, Ru-Rong, Andrea Nackley, Yul Huh, Niccolò Terrando, and William Maixner. “Neuroinflammation and Central Sensitization in Chronic and Widespread Pain..” Anesthesiology 129, no. 2 (August 2018): 343–66. https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000002130.

Price, Theodore J., Allan I. Basbaum, Jacqueline Bresnahan, Jan F. Chambers, Yves De Koninck, Robert R. Edwards, Ru-Rong Ji, et al. “Transition to chronic pain: opportunities for novel therapeutics..” Nat Rev Neurosci 19, no. 7 (July 2018): 383–84. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-018-0012-5.